Senator Erwin Tulfo is seeking a Senate investigation into an unfinished footbridge project in Manila that he claims is overpriced by hundreds of millions of pesos.
Tulfo said documents from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) show the Pasig River Esplanade Footbridge was funded in 2019 with a budget of ₱284,323,019.22. The bridge, planned to span 350 feet or 107 linear meters, costs about ₱2.6 million per meter—more than double the per-meter cost of the Binondo-Intramuros and Estrella-Pantaleon vehicular bridges, which are around ₱1.3 million per meter.
“From the very start, this was already extremely overpriced because it turned out to be more expensive than the four-lane vehicular bridges built in Manila,” Tulfo said.
He noted that despite six years passing since its approval, the bridge remains incomplete, with only the posts built, while the ₱283 million fund is reportedly gone. The project was approved and started during the tenure of then-DPWH NCR Director Ador Canlas, who now serves as a DPWH undersecretary.
“Only Usec. Canlas can answer why he allowed such an overpriced bridge and why it remains unfinished until now,” Tulfo said.
